The Measure of a Man
by Zana Zira
Summary: A mako-hunting mission should be a simple task - all in a day's work for a SOLDIER. But when the ones who are supposed to be the strongest around are rendered helpless, who will be left to protect them? As Cloud Strife will soon learn, it isn't always born greatness or inhuman strength that makes a hero. Sometimes all it takes is being in the right place at the right time.
1. Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note: Okay, so this little gem is something I've been gradually working on for about four months now. It's set in an AU I plan to use frequently from here on out (if people like it) in which Zack, Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal never desert SOLDIER in the first place, which means Final Fantasy VII (and most of Crisis Core) essentially never happens. *Le gasp!* Don't worry, though, it'll all make sense eventually.**

**In this fic, Cloud is 17, Zack is 19, and the Legendary Trio are all 33. So, with that in mind, enjoy (and leave a review for this chapter, pretty please!)**

* * *

The day of the assignment began as a mundane and ordinary day at the office for Zack Fair and Angeal Hewley. The weather in Midgar was bleak, as it always was. The sun had risen slowly, offering little light and no warmth on that frigid January morning. Zack and Angeal were sparring in one of the practice rooms, neither knowing nor caring exactly what time it was, when the P.A. system crackled into life and announced that both of them were needed immediately in Director Lazard's office. Angeal shrugged at the questioning look from his pupil, and the two reluctantly sheathed their blades and strode off in the direction of the SOLDIER director's room.

"You're both being sent off on a new mission, starting tomorrow," Lazard stated as soon as they closed the door. This was a first – usually it took at least thirty seconds for him to tell them what they were being called in for.

"May I ask what it is we're doing?" Angeal asked patiently, noting how flustered the usually cool-as-ice Lazard looked today. The blond man ran a hand back through his hair, sighing and glancing irritably at his computer screen before replying.

"The executives in the Mako Research Department have decided they want to build another reactor, and the location they've chosen is too dangerous for most ordinary people to set foot in. So, against my protests, they've decided to draft a few of my SOLDIERs into scoping out the area instead."

"And what area would that be, exactly?" Angeal asked, his curiosity piqued.

"It is in the center of Modeus mountain range, several miles north of Modeoheim. Apparently, there are vast pools of mako trapped inside the largest of the mountains, and they need someone from SOLDIER to determine whether the area is accessible and stable enough to allow for the construction of a reactor." Zack gave Angeal a confident smirk; this was going to be a cakewalk.

"How long are we expected to be?"

"The Turks will fly you and Zack to the area just outside of the mountain range and drop you off. From there, you will have six days to hike to the reactor, document data about the terrain, collect a sample of mako if there is any to be found, and return to the area where you were left. This should be plenty of time; it should take only two and a half days to reach the area on the map, which gives you an extra day's time to rest before the Turks return, if need be." Angeal nodded, but something about the director's gaze was unsettling.

"Sir, if this is such an easy mission, may I ask why you seem so worried?" Lazard sighed and looked away from Angeal for a moment.

"Even if it _is_ just a trek through the mountains, I am still reluctant to deploy two of my best SOLDIERs to some gods-forsaken pile of rock in the middle of the Modeus. If the Research Department wants that mako so badly, why can't they send some of their own employees to handle it? There are enough of them to spare, and there is always greater safety in numbers. Even for a SOLDIER, the monsters in those mountains can be quite a handful."

In an attempt to alleviate Lazard's concerns, Angeal suggested adding an extra SOLDIER or two to the mix. This idea eventually ended up being rejected since there were so few Seconds and Thirds available at the moment, and Sephiroth and Genesis, the only other Firsts, were currently on assignment in Wutai. So the discussion turned instead to the small list of cadets Lazard considered fit for the task. Zack immediately joined in and mentioned Cloud Strife, the young blond cadet he had befriended a little over two years ago and who, at least according to said raven-haired SOLDIER, was also a "backwater expert." Who, then, he reasoned, would be better to accompany Angeal and Zack on their mission than Cadet Strife?

Zack rushed off at top speed to tell his friend about their decision, and the younger boy had to pinch himself to make sure he was indeed awake. Though Zack and Angeal were very close, Cloud had always been intimidated by the enormous man, and he was still unsure exactly why Angeal would pick him over the more capable SOLDIER Seconds and Thirds. Not wanting to question his good luck, though, Cloud immediately agreed, and he rushed away as quickly as a racing Chocobo to begin packing his bag for the trek.

* * *

The following day found the two SOLDIERs and the cadet seated in the back of a helicopter on their way to the future reactor site. Angeal was snoring quietly, his head resting against the window of the chopper and his body slumped against the wall; an old, worn book lay open on his lap, abandoned in favor of his slightly uncomfortable window-pillow.

Cloud was sitting as still as a statue in the corner, holding his head down between his knees and clenching a bucket between his feet while tried to concentrate on taking slow, deep breaths. Zack was busy letting his airsick friend lean on him and quietly talking about the mission, his girlfriend Aerith, how small his paycheck was compared to the Turks' – anything he could think of to distract the blond and lessen his misery a little. This worked for a while, until Tseng swerved quickly to miss some unseen aerial obstacle. Cloud's face turned snow-white and then sickly green, and Zack barely had time to shove the bucket under the blond's chin before he found himself holding the longer pieces of his friend's hair out of the way and rubbing his back as his stomach decided to return his breakfast with interest. This woke Angeal, who immediately joined Zack in comforting the sick cadet until he stopped gagging and slumped tiredly against his raven-haired friend.

"Are you alright now, Spiky?" Zack asked as the blond swallowed hard and groaned, holding one hand over his belly and the other over his mouth. "We're almost there, okay? Just a few more minutes and we'll be out in the fresh air." The cadet nodded weakly, not trusting himself to speak.

"Are you sure he's alright?" Angeal asked with concern. "He seemed healthy a little while ago, but now…" Zack smiled at his mentor and nodded, patting Cloud's back reassuringly and grimacing when it just gave him the hiccups.

"He and planes just don't get along well. It'll fade once we hit solid ground."

Luckily, solid ground wasn't far off. Within another ten minutes, they had landed on top of the hard-packed snow at the base of the mountains; Tseng made sure to land gently once he learned that one of his passengers was airsick. Zack helped Cloud out of the chopper, sitting down beside him in the snow while Angeal tossed their packs down beside them and signaled to the Turk that he was clear to leave. Cloud had begun to feel better as soon as his feet touched the ground, and once he had convinced Zack and Angeal that he was able to keep down the small sips of water they forced on him, the three of them shouldered their packs and began their steady trek up the mountain.


	2. Big Bad Wolves

For most of the afternoon, the three men crunched through the snow and up the slick, icy paths, too focused on keeping themselves warm, on top of the snow, and on their feet to bother speaking much. Even the puppyish Zack was more subdued than usual, his attention focused solely on the terrain and making sure he kept pace with his mentor. It was miserably cold, and although Zack and Angeal had enough mako in their bodies to keep them from freezing to death even without much outerwear, it didn't make the experience any more pleasant for either of them.

Angeal had initially worried that Cloud would slow them down since he did not have the mako-enhanced stamina of a SOLDIER, but the cadet had quickly proved that worry unnecessary by not only keeping up, but _passing_ the other two and continually staying a fair distance ahead of them. When Angeal asked how he was faring so well in an environment that made even the thirty-three-year-old SOLDIER feel exhausted, Cloud had simply smiled and said that these mountains were tamer than the ones surrounding his hometown. Angeal had accepted that answer, resolving to ask Zack a little more about his friend later when they wouldn't be overheard.

By the time the sun began to near the horizon, the temperature was dropping to dangerously cold levels and the sky was darkening with the first clouds of an approaching blizzard. Angeal decided that it was time to set up camp for the night; there was no sense in risking their health by getting caught out in a snowstorm, especially when they had plenty of time to spare before they had to report back to Tseng. Besides, the snow in the Modeus was often too heavy for anyone to see through, even in daylight. If they were to go looking for mako-filled caverns in weather like that, it was likely they would pass right by them and never be any the wiser.

Zack and Cloud stayed close to him until he selected their campsite, a small clearing with a few scattered trees that offered at least a slight windbreak around it. In no time, the three of them had pitched the tent and made a fire in the center of the clearing, dropping their weapons off inside the tent afterwards. They took off some of their outer layers and hung them on a branch high above the fire to dry, and Cloud unpacked the blankets and bedrolls from their packs and laid them inside the tent before setting up a few pieces of cooking equipment over the fire.

While Angeal snapped limbs off of the trees to use as extra firewood, he asked Zack to go and get some water to boil for stew. He could see a fairly large stream nearby, and Zack was happy to oblige when his mentor pointed it out to him. Cloud followed him, seeing as he had nothing better to do at that moment, and he was thirsty besides. While he knelt on the bank of the stream and drank handful after handful of the crystal-clear water, Zack crouched about fifty yards away, dipping the first of two cooking pots into it and staring in fascination at the chunks of ice floating down on the current. Gongaga had a hot, humid climate, so ice was something he was extremely unfamiliar with. He brought the first pot back to the fire and walked over to join Cloud while he filled the second.

A moment after Zack sat down beside him, Cloud froze, getting the feeling he was being watched. Something was out there, hidden just inside the treeline. His eyes roamed over the edges of the campsite, scanning for the beast he was praying was only in his imagination. Finally, he saw it there, watching both of them with hungrily glinting eyes: a Bandersnatch. The oversized wolf-creatures were larger and stronger than the Nibel Wolves that lived around his hometown, and even Nibel Wolves were a force to be reckoned with in a pack. Cloud shuddered, hoping the Bandersnatch was alone and suddenly feeling as if there were hundreds of the things hiding in the trees.

"Zack…" he whispered, his heart beginning to race when he heard the wolf-like beast begin to growl. Zack turned toward him, completely unaware of the danger while he continued to play with the chunks of ice floating beside him in the stream.

"What's up, Spike?" the raven-haired First asked nonchalantly, stretching and yawning after he had set the pot of water down on the snowy ground. Cloud held a finger up to his lips, and Zack tilted his head in confusion but fell silent.

"A Bandersnatch. Right behind you," Cloud whispered in a voice so quiet Zack wouldn't have heard it without his mako-enhanced hearing. "Don't. Move."

"Oh. Ohhhh," Zack whispered, his eyes widening when the true fear in Cloud's words began to sink in. His muscles tensed immediately, instinctually beginning to reach for his SOLDIER-issue broadsword before he realized it was still in the tent with Angeal's Buster Sword and Cloud's rifle. He sighed, keeping his ears focused behind him and looking over his shoulder as far as he could without actually turning his head. "Alright, don't panic. Angeal's got our backs. Just sit still here and he'll figure out something's up." Almost on cue, the enormous man suddenly dropped from one of the trees right above the beast, driving the edge of Zack's broadsword through its neck and cleanly beheading it before it could move to fight back. Both Zack and Cloud breathed a sigh of relief while Angeal began wiping the creature's blood off of the blade and onto the snow.

"Thank you, Sir!" Cloud whispered gratefully, once again in awe of the older man's impressive skills. Angeal nodded and smiled, but suddenly froze when a much louder growl rumbled from somewhere in the trees. He immediately drew Zack's broadsword again, standing protectively in front of the two younger men while he waited to see where the sound was coming from. A moment later, a much larger Bandersnatch emerged from the trees, snarling and growling furiously while it foamed at the mouth. It took one look at its dead kin and threw its head back, giving an ear-piercing howl, before it suddenly fell completely silent, eyes focused unblinkingly on Angeal. Cloud gulped.

"Ah… Angeal?" he whispered, getting only a slight grunt from the big man to show he had heard. "That Bandersnatch you killed a second ago… If it's anything like a Nibel Wolf, than judging by its size it was just a pup. And, um… I think this one… might be Mom." Angeal sighed, his shoulders sagging a fraction of an inch before the she-wolf began stalking toward him and he took up his strong fighting stance once more.

"Wonderful."


	3. Turn for the Worse

The Bandersnatch slowly made her way toward the three men, exuding vengeful intent with every effortless stride. Her enormous paws crunched through the ice-encrusted snow with a sound like breaking bones, and her lips curled back when she laid eyes on the men who had killed her pup, revealing a mouthful of three-inch, razor-sharp fangs. None of the humans moved for several moments, waiting to see what the wolf-like beast would do. Zack and Angeal stared the creature down with a stony calm that could only be learned after years of fighting and killing, their unnaturally blue eyes beginning to glow with green around the edges. It was amazing that Zack could be so sure of himself even without a weapon; the raven-haired SOLDIER was prepared to take on his opponent with his bare hands if he had to, even if it wasn't the ideal way to fight.

Cloud did his level best to match their confidence, though he knew it was nearly impossible. He had been around Nibel Wolves for most of his life, and as a result he had learned just how dangerous they could be; he was afraid, and the Bandersnatch knew it. Her attention suddenly shifted to him, and he got the sickening feeling that his life was in very real danger. Angeal and Zack tensed a moment before she sprang. The second her feet left the ground, Angeal stabbed out with Zack's broadsword, missing by only inches when she somehow predicted it and contorted her body in mid-leap to bend around the blade. Cloud barely jumped to the side in time to avoid being bitten in the face, rolling in the snow as he landed and slipped on the ice.

The Bandersnatch was preparing to attack again before he was back up, her eyes blazing furiously and a deep growl rumbling in her throat. Cloud gulped, feeling his heart pounding, and leapt to his feet just as she sprang again. It was too late; he wasn't going to get away this time. He made a small, unintelligible noise of fear and drew his arms up to cover his face, prepared for the searing pain he knew would accompany those fangs.

Just before the Bandersnatch could sink her teeth into the blond's flesh, she was knocked to the ground with a full-body tackle by Zack, and they fell together in a tangle of thrashing limbs just beside the edge of the river. The oversized canine roared and turned her head to bite at the SOLDIER, snarling and sending foamy saliva flying into his face while he held her snapping jaws barely an inch away from his neck. Angeal had the creature in a sort of bear-hug around the hips and rear legs, trying to hold it back and finding it a test of even his immense strength. Zack's eyes were wide and his teeth were bared in adrenaline-fueled fury when he grabbed one of the Bandersnatch's ears and punched it hard across the muzzle, knocking several of its teeth loose and leaving him bleeding from the cuts the fangs had left on his knuckles. It took only a moment for the creature to get back into the fight, though, and Zack was once again stuck holding it around its throat in order to keep his own intact.

While Zack and Angeal were tangled up with the mother Bandersnatch, Cloud had run to the tent and grabbed his rifle; it was already loaded and aimed before anyone knew he was gone. But just before he could pull the trigger, the beast reared up violently, sending Zack flying into the icy river with a loud splash and leaving Angeal to grapple with it alone. Cloud dashed to the edge of the river, waiting for Zack to resurface and feeling a surge of fear rising in his chest when the SOLDIER stayed hidden beneath the water.

"Zack! _ZACK_!" Angeal shouted, fighting to free himself from the melee and realizing to his dismay that the broadsword had been knocked out of reach. He could see Cloud racing toward the edge of the river, and his heart nearly stopped in his chest; the kid was going to jump. "_NO_!" he screamed, willing Cloud to hear him. But it was too late. The blond was already airborne.

The instant Cloud broke through the water, it stabbed his nerves like a thousand daggers, making his breath hitch in a silent scream as the cold nearly shocked the air out of him. The current in the river was far stronger and faster than Cloud had thought from a distance, and it carried him downstream like a leaf on the wind, threatening to smash him against sharp rocks and chunks of ice at every turn. His body was screaming for him to resurface; every cell was so cold it burned like Hellfire. He could barely manage to keep himself underwater, but he knew he had to if he was going to find his friend.

The wait seemed endless while he looked through the darkening water, and he was just about to come up for air and try again when he saw Zack bobbing beneath the surface a short distance away. His body was held at an unnatural angle, and though he was struggling weakly he wasn't moving anywhere; Cloud realized he must be caught on something. He kicked through the water as quickly as he could, reaching his friend in a matter of seconds. He could see now that the leather straps holding Zack's shoulder pauldrons were wrapped around the root of a tree, and his foot was caught between two rocks. With strength he did not know he possessed, Cloud grabbed the leather straps and pulled, snapping them in two and freeing Zack's torso. He held Zack's legs tightly as he freed his foot, afraid he would drift away again if he didn't. With one last tug, Zack's boot came free and Cloud shot up toward the surface, splashing up with his friend held tightly against his shivering body.

Almost immediately, Zack turned his head to the side, coughing and gagging and bringing up all the water he had inhaled. Cloud patted him on the back, helping him clear the water out of his lungs while he struggled to keep them both afloat using only his quickly-tiring legs. His vision was beginning to blur now. The cold was getting to him; he could hardly feel his limbs, and if Zack had not wrapped his arms around Cloud's neck and started kicking weakly himself, they both probably would have gone under again. The current had carried them far away from the campsite. There would be no hope for Angeal to help them now.

"Hang *_cough_* on, Sp - *_cough_* Spike," Zack wheezed, trying to keep them both afloat as his own strength began to flag. "Keep… Keep kicking, *_cough_* okay?" Cloud nodded, sensing that his legs were moving even though he couldn't feel it anymore. Almost as soon as Zack had spoken, the water got even choppier, and the two men were thrown around like rag dolls. The rocks slammed into them mercilessly, driving the strength from their bodies until they felt nothing but pain. Zack was already unconscious, bleeding from a large gash on the side of his head and several others along his body. Cloud suspected he was pretty battered, too; he could feel himself beginning to black out.

"_So this is it,_" Cloud thought blearily as his vision began to darken. "_We're going to die out in the middle of some frozen river where no one will ever find us. Sorry, Zack. Some help… I was…_" For just a moment, he could swear he heard the cry of a Chocobo echoing through the air, and he saw a flash of white before his eyes. But then, just as suddenly as it had come, it vanished, and Cloud let himself succumb to the welcoming pull of darkness.


	4. Mission Failed

Panic began to chill Angeal's blood as soon as he saw Cloud disappear beneath the surface of the frigid water. Zack was a SOLDIER First Class, so he would be relatively safe from the threat of freezing to death or even running out of oxygen very quickly. Cloud, on the other hand, was a mere cadet and had not yet been given any mako treatments; he was as good as dead out there if Angeal didn't catch up to them soon.

At the moment, however, that was completely impossible. The Bandersnatch was still in full fury, snapping and snarling at Angeal while he danced around her and delivered blow after blow to every inch of her body his fists could reach. He could feel the bones breaking under his hands, but still the beast refused to give up, whirling on him and charging again after she had stopped to cough up a mouthful of blood. His hand had almost reached Zack's broadsword, which had fallen into the snow while they fought, when she sprang at him again. He jerked his arm back as quickly as he could, but it wasn't quick enough.

Angeal screamed in pain as her teeth sank deep into the flesh of his right bicep, and he heard the bones of his arm and shoulder crack before he felt it. Clenching his teeth to keep from screaming again, he used his left hand to punch the Bandersnatch in the mouth again and again, cutting his knuckles on the teeth as he broke them loose. Finally she released him, howling in pain and leaving several pieces of her broken fangs lodged in the muscle of his arm.

While she took a moment to gather her senses again, Angeal lunged for the sword, yelping when he slid across the snow and tore the flesh of his knee on a sharp piece of ice. Holding onto the blade for dear life, he waited for her to leap again and was rewarded a moment later when she came full-speed at him from the right. Cursing and turning so that he could use his uninjured but less-skilled left arm, Angeal thrust the sword forward one final time, driving it through the Bandersnatch's chest and into her heart; she clamped her teeth shut just inches from his face and fell backward into the snow, staining it red as the last of her lifeblood poured out beside that of her kin.

Relieved and exhausted, Angeal dropped to his knees, panting and groaning softly as the shattered bones of his right arm shifted and scraped against each other. When he tried to stand up, he fell to the ground again as a sharp pain seared through his left knee. Looking down at it, he realized there was a great deal of blood beginning to pool around him in the snow; he fought back the urge to retch when he saw that he had sliced his knee down to the bone on the sharp ice earlier. There was no way he was going to be able to go after Zack and Cloud in this condition. The only option left was to radio in for help.

Pulling himself up and clenching his teeth against his body's cries of resistance, he began limping over to the tent, trailing blood behind him as he went. After what seemed an eternity, he reached it and sank to the ground inside, noting to his dismay that it was almost dark and large flakes of snow had begun to fall.

"Dammit!" he muttered to himself, looking through the pack for his PHS while he watched the snow outside grow ever heavier. "They need my help, and I can't do anything for them! What good was it to send me along if I couldn't even protect them from one Bandersnatch?" Finally, he found his PHS and snatched it up, flipping it open so quickly he almost snapped the screen backwards and hitting the speed-dial for SOLDIER HQ. It rang a few times and he growled with impatience. "Pick up, pick up, pick up…" The line clicked almost immediately after he spoke, and Lazard's familiar voice sounded over the line.

"General Hewley. Status?"

"Sir, I am requesting that this mission be aborted immediately and that backup be sent to the Modeus as soon as humanly possible," Angeal said with a forced calm that he had learned to use after years of dealing with such situations.

"And your reason for this request?"

"We were attacked by a Bandersnatch and her pup at the camp," he answered, his voice tight with pain. "Lieutenant-General Fair and Cadet Strife are currently missing somewhere in these mountains, and I've been injured too severely to pursue them in this storm. Until those two are found, this mission cannot proceed." He heard Lazard sigh on the other end of the line, and he could swear there was almost a hint of distress in the sound.

"Very well. Backup will be sent immediately. Just stay where you are, General, and we'll send someone out to find Fair and Strife. Keep yourself alive until help arrives."

"Yes, Sir. Over and out."

Angeal flipped his PHS shut and sighed, worry for the two younger men gnawing at his every thought. He removed a first aid kit from the pack and retrieved some gauze bandaging and antiseptic paste, treating his wounds the best way he could in the hopes that he could avoid infection. He cursed himself for not bringing a Cure materia; if he had, he would have been able to go after his two comrades. The storm was going to get worse before it got better, and the two of them were out in the elements in wet clothes with no supplies but what they might have in their pockets. Zack had a decent chance of survival if he could find a way to keep his core body temperature up. For Cloud, though, the situation was likely to be much more desperate.

The Banoran First picked up his Buster Sword with his good arm, laying his forehead against the cool metal and praying silently to every god who would listen.

"_If any of you gods have any mercy in your hearts, please just keep them safe… Zack, Cloud, don't give up – I'm coming for you. Wherever you are, just keep yourselves alive…_"


	5. When It's Least Expected

"Kid. Hey, kid. C'mon, wake up now…"

Cloud could hear someone's voice echoing strangely in his mind, but for the life of him he could not figure out who it might be.

"_Dad…?_" For a moment he thought he had been imagining the voice, for he got no response. But just as he was about to slip back into total darkness and silence, he heard the voice again. It sounded very frustrated and perhaps a bit worried this time.

"Come on, kid, yer gonna freeze out here if ya don't wake yer ass up!"

"_But I'm not sleeping… am I?_"

"Ah, screw it! I guess I'll have ta get him out of here myself..."

Hours later, Cloud opened his eyes very slowly, blinking the film out of them so he could see where he was. The last place he could remember being was in the river, but there was no water in sight now. Evening had turned into night, although he had no idea how late it actually was. He was in some sort of dim room, and it looked as though it had cloth walls. Who had saved him? Had Angeal already gotten them transported back to Midgar?

"Director Lazard?" he whispered, saying the first name besides Angeal's that came to mind. Someone beside him snorted derisively.

"Who the hell're you callin' a lizard?" they growled. "I just saved yer life and yer gonna go callin' me names now?" Cloud looked up immediately, and his sleepy eyes rested on the shape of another person who was crouched just beside him.

The man had short hair of the same blond color as his own, and he looked to be around twenty-nine or thirty. He appeared to be very fit, his muscular build discernible even beneath his olive-colored coveralls and heavy blue jacket. Despite having blond hair and blue eyes, his skin was fairly tanned, likely from spending a lot of time outdoors, and his chin was covered in short blond stubble. A pair of aviation goggles was strapped to his head, and a packet of cigarettes had been tucked into the strap just behind his ear.

"I… I'm sorry…" Cloud muttered, overwhelmed and extremely confused. "I… who are you?"

"The name's Cid," the man said nonchalantly, pulling a cigarette out of the pack and sticking it between his lips while he searched his pockets for a lighter. "I pulled you and yer friend outta that river a little bit ago. Yer damn lucky I did, too, or ya both woulda been goners." Cloud gasped and sat bolt upright.

"Zack! Is he okay? Where –"

"Hey, hey, easy now," Cid said a little more softly, pushing on Cloud's shoulders to keep him seated. "Yer friend's fine. He's sleepin' now." Cloud looked to where Cid was pointing and saw Zack sleeping soundly, curled into a ball under a thick blanket.

"Oh, I see. That's good to know. I thought I saw something white just before I blacked out… It must've been you I saw."

"White? Oh, that musta been Rima." He stood and lifted the flap of the tent so that Cloud could see the form of a large white Chocobo sitting in the snow outside.

"Rima… Is that the name of your Chocobo?" he asked softly, massaging his temples and feeling a terrible headache coming on.

"Yeah," Cid said affectionately. "I don't stay up in these mountains all year, but whenever I come back she's always here waitin' for me. She's the one who came and got my attention when you two fell in the water." Cloud's eyes widened a bit; that explained the strange white form he had seen just before passing out, and the Chocobo call he had heard. He suddenly winced, stifling a groan of pain as his nerves remembered that the multitude of bloody gashes along his body were supposed to hurt. Cid put a hand on his shoulder to keep him still, reaching into one of the pockets of his jacket and retrieving a Cure materia.

"I took care of yer friend since he was awake for a little while, but I didn't get a chance to heal you yet," he said while he began casting the spell. "Too risky to do it while you were asleep. By the way, what's yer name, kid?"

"Cloud…"

"Heh," Cid said with a barely-concealed snort. "Betcha take a lotta crap for that name in the barracks, huh?" Cloud blinked in surprise.

"How did you know I'm–"

"You still had yer uniform on when I pulled ya up. It wasn't hard ta guess."

"Oh. R-right…" Cloud said, noticing for the first time that both he and Zack had been stripped and wrapped in warm blankets instead.

"So yer friend over there," Cid began as he shifted toward the center of the tent in search of something. "He's a SOLDIER, right?"

"Yeah. First Class."

"Uh-huh. Lucky I didn't know that before I pulled him up, or I probably woulda let him drown."

"What?!" Cid shrugged, acting as if that was the most normal thing in the world to say.

"Shin-Ra screwed me over like you wouldn't believe. I used to be their top astronaut, on my way to bein' the first man in space. But Shin-Ra –" He stopped suddenly, his expression darkening as he turned his gaze back toward Cloud. "Hell, none of that matters now, anyway. The point is I hate everything to do with Shin-Ra now. I saved you guys 'cause I didn't want your deaths on my conscience, but I'm not keepin' ya around after the sun comes up. Got it?" Cloud nodded, just grateful for the fact that the man had saved them at all. Satisfied, Cid retrieved a small cup from a bag by his bedroll, pouring something from a self-heating kettle into it and handing it to Cloud. He watched expectantly while Cloud stared at the drink, not sure whether it was safe for him or not.

"Are ya gonna drink that or just look at yer face in it?" he asked gruffly after several seconds had passed.

"Oh, I… I'm not really thirsty right –"

"Just sit there and shaddup and drink yer damn tea!"

"Y-yes, sir…"

* * *

Angeal had been lying in the same place for hours, trying to keep as still as possible since every movement created a new stab of pain somewhere in his body. He was too cold and achy to sleep, but too exhausted to stay awake, and he couldn't stop worrying about Zack and Cloud. Had they made it out of the river okay, or had they been injured? Were they together? Were they even alive?

He shook his head fiercely, trying in vain to erase that last thought.

"They _are_ alive," he told himself for what must have been the hundredth time. "They're strong, and they know what they're doing. Lazard wouldn't have sent them out here if they weren't capable of handling it." A wave of doubt crashed over him after that last statement. "But if even I got laid up like this…" He sat up, ignoring the stab of pain coursing through his shattered right arm and shoulder, and laid his head in his left hand. "When did I become such a worrywart?"

"About the time you adopted that new puppy of yours," answered a soft, sarcastic voice. Angeal looked up just in time to see Genesis make his way into the tent, Sephiroth following silently behind him. The Silver General's expression softened with worry when he saw how battered Angeal was, but it was so subtle that no one but his closest friends would ever have noticed.

"Genesis! Sephiroth!" Angeal said, shocked beyond words to see them there. "Weren't you supposed to be on assignment in Wutai?"

"We _were_ on assignment, yes," Sephiroth answered calmly, flipping an errant lock of silver hair back over his shoulder. "But we finished our business there in the early hours of the morning and were transported back to the Shin-Ra Building just after you left."

"Thank the gods you're here," Angeal said with a heavy sigh, wincing when Sephiroth knelt beside him and lifted his arm to examine the gashes the Bandersnatch's fangs had left.

"We'll find them, 'Geal," Genesis said softly, joining Sephiroth beside his friend and locating a Cure materia and a potion inside the pack he had brought along. "But first we have to get you taken care of. There's no way you can go with us like this."

"What attacked you?" Sephiroth asked almost tonelessly, poking at one of the broken fangs in Angeal's arm until it made the other SOLDIER hiss in pain. Genesis shooed him away and began removing the pieces himself, being as gentle as he could while he worked a pair of tweezers around each and every fragment.

"A Bandersnatch," Angeal muttered, clenching his teeth in both fury and pain. "I killed a pup before it could attack Zack and Cloud, not knowing the mother was nearby. She went berserk afterwards, and I was unarmed for most of the fight."

"You're lucky to be alive at all, then, let alone with such minor injuries." Angeal nodded solemnly.

"Brace yourself, Angeal," Genesis suddenly said, laying one hand on Angeal's shoulder and taking his arm in the other. "This is really going to hurt."

"I know," Angeal said, turning his eyes away from his arm so he wouldn't have to anticipate the pain. "Just get it over with." Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Genesis tugged his arm downward and pushed hard on his shoulder, forcing the bones back into their proper places with several sickening popping sounds. Angeal clamped his jaw shut and sucked in a hissing breath, letting it out in a shaky exhale while he slowly unclenched his left fist. An instant later, all of his pain disappeared completely when Genesis cast the Cure spell and knitted the bones of his arm and flesh of his knee back together. Angeal extended his limbs, flexing the muscles, and sighed in relief when nothing hurt.

"I can't thank you enough for this, you two," he said while he stood and shouldered his pack. But suddenly he felt Sephiroth's hands on his shoulders, pulling his pack off of him and forcing him to sit back down.

"Sephiroth, what –" he began indignantly, but Sephiroth just shook his head and stared coolly at him.

"I know you're worried about them, Angeal, but going out searching in the dead of night would be foolish. A blizzard has just started and you've lost a lot of blood from those injuries. You're in no shape to go out in weather like this right now." Angeal sighed, knowing it was true.

"Yes, you're right. But what if –"

"Don't worry about 'what-if's' right now," Genesis said, lying down on one of the two extra sleeping bags that would have been for Zack and Cloud. "Just get some rest, and tomorrow we'll set out after them at sunup. They'll be fine, okay? Just trust me on this one."

Angeal nodded but said nothing, pulling himself down into his own sleeping bag while Sephiroth sealed the tent against the cold seeping in from outside. Once all three were bedded down, Sephiroth and Genesis were soon asleep. Angeal was nearly asleep himself, but before he drifted off completely, he prayed one last time to the gods to keep Zack and Cloud alive until morning and hoped with all his heart they would listen.

* * *

**Author's Note: Betcha didn't see _that_ coming, huh? Cid to the rescue! Please leave a review if you can - they're what give me the drive to keep writing!**


	6. Miscalculation

The instant the first rays of sunlight began to peek over the horizon the next morning, Angeal was awake and getting ready to depart. He moved like a whirlwind, gathering supplies together and stuffing them into his pack while somehow managing to dress and eat some sort of dehydrated food at the same time. Sephiroth and Genesis helped him, although they went at a much less frantic pace. Had their reason for departing at first light not been so urgent, Genesis would usually have teased his friend for racing around in such a frenzy; that was a rather Zack-ish trait, after all, and Genesis loved to tease Angeal about the puppy rubbing off on him. Today, though, he kept his mouth shut, not even bothering to offer a sarcastic response when Angeal shouldered his pack and hurriedly gestured for Genesis and Sephiroth to follow him.

The blizzard from the night before had left three inches of fresh snow on top of the layers that already coated the Modeus mountains year-round, making their going even slower as they trudged through the now calf-deep blanket of white. None of them bothered speaking much, too focused on plowing their way through the snow that in some places had created drifts ten feet high. Sephiroth had the easiest time of it, seeing as he was nearly seven feet tall and his legs could easily step up above most of the snow; Genesis and Angeal, though not much shorter, were forced to take high, prancing steps that made them look more like clumsy draft horses than SOLDIERs. A quick glance back at the two made Sephiroth's chuckle halt in his throat; the look in their eyes stated plainly that they knew they looked foolish and didn't need to hear it from him, too.

After two hours of tromping through the snow, the three of them stopped to rest at the top of the ridge they had just crossed. The paths had all been covered in snow, and now seemed like a good time to make sure they were still on the right track to finding Zack and Cloud. Silent as ever, Sephiroth carefully sat down on the icy ground and folded his legs under him, spreading a map on the ground before him and scrutinizing it carefully.

"So, Angeal," he began after a few moments of silence. "Zack and Cloud fell into the stream about fifty yards from the tent, right?"

"Yes," Angeal answered, trying not to imagine the many different things that could have happened after that.

"We've kept the river in sight since we left this morning, though," Genesis said thoughtfully, looking down from the edge of the rocky ridge to where the river shone against the snow. "Shouldn't we have seen where they got out by now?"

"If there hadn't been new snowfall last night, yes," Angeal answered softly, the worry on his face making him look ten years older than he actually was. "The problem is, we have no idea how far downstream the current took them, and whatever tracks they may have left will be covered up now."

"So what would you suggest, Angeal?" Sephiroth asked calmly, keeping his emotions far-removed from the discussion so that he could think clearly about his strategy.

"I think the best thing to do at this point is stay as high as we can, in case we spot them somewhere below us. We'll travel toward the reactor site as planned. I know Zack will do the same once he gets his bearings. With any luck he'll have already gotten there by the time we reach it."

"And… if he hasn't?" Genesis asked hesitantly, hating to see the flicker of pain that travelled across his friend's face before he could mask it.

"Then we'll think of something else. As you said last night, Gen, let's not get bogged down in the 'what-if's right now."

"Right," Genesis said, standing and shouldering his pack with his ever-present smirk back in place. "Let's go find those two so I can light them on fire for causing so much trouble."

Angeal couldn't help but smile at that.

* * *

The next time Cloud awoke, he was still in Cid's tent with Zack beside him, although the pilot had already gathered his things and departed at first light, leaving the SOLDIER and cadet to fend for themselves. With a gasp, Cloud jolted up from underneath his blankets, holding his head in his hands while he pulled himself together and woke up fully. He heard Zack snoring beside him and looked down, seeing his friend curled around him like a cat while he slept. Cloud was completely unfazed; Zack was a very cuddly person when he was asleep, and several missions with him had desensitized Cloud to waking up with First Class pressed against his back. It was simply unavoidable when one was around Zack Fair.

The raven-haired SOLDIER had woken briefly during the night, but he had only stayed that way long enough to dress himself and crawl back into the warm nest of blankets between the already-sleeping Cloud and Cid. Despite how exhausted Zack must have been, Cloud was still shocked to see him asleep after eight. Zack was usually up with the sun, bursting with energy and annoying everyone around him while they tried to shut out his unbearably cheery chatter. Now, though, he was dead to the world, and it took several shakes from Cloud before his eyes fluttered open and he yawned very much like a tired puppy.

"Ssspike?" he slurred, rubbing his eyes and yawning again before coughing softly into the crook of his arm. "What're you doin' up s'early?"

"It's not early, Zack. It's almost nine."

"Really? Huh. Just five more minutes, 'kay?" Zack asked blearily before rolling over in the blankets again. Cloud frowned, now a little concerned.

"Zack, get up," he said firmly, pulling the blankets off of his friend and chuckling softly when the older SOLDIER made a pitiful whining noise in protest. "We have a mission to finish, remember?"

That woke Zack up in an instant, and he was out of the blankets and packing up the camp before Cloud had even followed him outside. The blond was pleasantly surprised to notice that Cid had left them quite a few of his surplus supplies, from the tent itself to blankets, a few different cooking items, and some of the dehydrated food he had brought along. Cloud smiled to himself while Zack began making some soup from a packet in a pot of boiling water; for someone who supposedly hated Shin-Ra, Cid had certainly made sure they were well-equipped for the trip back.

"Cloud!" Zack called, dividing the soup into two cups and thrusting one in Cloud's direction. "Hurry up and eat, man! We gotta get going! Angeal probably thinks we're dead or something!" Cloud rolled his eyes, choosing not to call Zack out for being the one to slow them down in the first place, and took the food, letting it warm his body from the inside out even as the snow threatened to turn him into an icicle the instant he let his guard down. While he slurped the soup, he heard a couple of soft coughs and noticed Zack wasn't eating as quickly as usual. He idly wondered if something was wrong, but he didn't have a chance to ask before Zack was already up and pulling him up too, walking off in the direction he knew the reactor site to be.

"Come on, come on!" Zack said excitedly, shouldering his pack and pulling Cloud along with him once he had picked up a bundle of his own. "We'll be there by tonight. I can feel it!"

What Zack _couldn't_ feel, apparently, was the fact that he was headed in the opposite direction he should have been, and that he was taking them farther and farther away from Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis. In a mountain range like the Modeus, where the weather was constantly changing and the environment unforgiving, this could prove to be a very costly mistake indeed.


	7. SOLDIERs Aren't Invincible

**Author's Note: Since all of you readers have been so awesome, I have decided to gift you with a long chapter, since I can't give you cookies! Enjoy!**

* * *

Zack and Cloud made steady progress throughout the morning, stomping their way through the thick snow at as fast a pace as they could without using too much energy. Cloud, as he had the day before, stayed a fair distance ahead of Zack the whole way, seeing as he was more accustomed to cold, mountainous weather than the Gongagan. However, Zack seemed to be lagging a bit more than he should have been, unfamiliar with the mountains or not. Where yesterday he had been close enough for Cloud to be able to see him throughout the day, today the blond found himself having to stop regularly and wait for his friend to trail back into his sight again. It unnerved him on some instinctual level, though he wasn't sure why. It wasn't exactly odd to see Zack looking a little tired after what they'd been through yesterday; after all, he _had_ almost drowned, and that was before being slammed against several sharp rocks.

Deciding that he was worrying too much, Cloud waited until Zack appeared a short distance down the trail before setting off again, heading toward the high cliffs he could see several miles in the distance. Zack caught up to him after a while, and he walked side-by-side with the Chocobo-headed cadet while they chatted idly and continued to make their way through the almost knee-high snow and ice. A short time later, Zack bounded off ahead of him, gesturing excitedly for him to follow before taking off at a sprint. Cloud followed behind him, but before long he pulled up short, jaw dropping in awe.

Just in front of them, towering higher above their heads than the Shin-Ra Building, was a great cliff made almost entirely of materia-embedded rock. The chunks of crystallized mako glittered beautifully in the sun, sending prisms of multicolored light dancing around them in all directions and making the snow look as if it were tie-dyed. It was almost surreal, easily surpassing the beauty of any of the materia clusters Cloud had seen on Mt. Nibel in his childhood. Zack's excited babbling finally pulled Cloud's thoughts back to the mission, and he reluctantly turned his attention back to his friend.

"I think this is it, Cloud!" Zack said excitedly, hopping from foot to foot in excitement and coughing once into his fist. "If the Mako Research Department was looking for a good place to build a reactor, I don't think they could've picked a better one!"

"Yeah…" Cloud said sadly, imagining the beauty of this place disappearing into a jungle of iron and pipes. "But just because there are materia in these rocks doesn't mean there's any usable mako here anymore. It could have dried up centuries ago, after these materia formed." Zack snorted, feeling as if Cloud was insulting his intelligence a little.

"Well then, let's just look inside," he said nonchalantly, taking a step forward before Cloud could respond. "That's why we're here in the first place, right?"

"Yeah, but… What about Angeal? I haven't seen any sign of him around here yet…"

"I'm sure he'll catch up eventually. Snow isn't really his thing, either, so it's probably gonna take him a while. But if we go ahead and collect the mako samples before he gets here, we can be done and on our way back to HQ a day ahead of schedule! Warm bed and hot shower, here I come!" Before Cloud could protest again, Zack had already dashed off into the cave. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Cloud followed along behind him.

* * *

Zack had had better days than he was having right now. Despite his outward appearance of being ready to burst with energy, he was really feeling extremely tired. He knew he shouldn't have been; falling into icy rivers and nearly drowning were not good, but neither should have been anything his mako-enhanced body couldn't handle. He had been engineered to withstand things that would have laid up most people for days afterward. But for some reason, he still felt extremely fatigued, like his entire body was tied down with lead weights. He hated feeling slow and sluggish, so he made up for it by acting even peppier than usual and hoping Cloud wouldn't catch on; the kid was pretty sharp.

To make matters worse, his chest had felt tight since he woke up that morning, and there was a persistent scratchiness in the back of his throat that made him feel as if he constantly needed to cough. He had spent the better part of the morning arguing with his own body about it, not caring that he was technically talking to something that could not be reasoned with.

"_No,_" he said inwardly as he felt the annoying tickle again and cleared his throat softly. "_I am _not _coughing again._" Tickle. _"No._" Scratch. Tickle. _"I said no!_" Tickle scratch tickle. "_Oh, gods, _fine!_"_ He coughed into his fist as quietly as he could, hoping Cloud hadn't heard it but relieved that the scratchiness in his throat had faded for a moment. "_Phew. Now maybe it'll sto – _" Tickle. "_Dammit!_"

"Zack, are you coming?" Cloud called from a little deeper in the cavern. Zack snapped out of his inner monologue, remembering that he was supposed to be collecting mako samples, and jogged after his friend, choosing to ignore the fact that even that amount of exercise left him slightly out of breath. "You alright?" Cloud asked when Zack caught up to him. "You're lagging behind a lot today."

"Yeah, I'm good," the raven-haired SOLDIER answered as casually as he could. "Just takin' a look around. How many chances do we get to see something like this, y'know? Midgar's all metal and concrete."

"True. Well, anyway, I think I see a mako pool over there. Let's check it out."

Zack sighed in relief, thanking the gods that Cloud had bought his lie. He just hoped he could keep it up for a while longer, or this day was _not_ going to be a fun one.

* * *

The next three hours passed swiftly for Cloud, who was now enthusiastically collecting samples of mako from the various pools that littered the floor of the cavern. He also managed to gather a few loose chunks of raw materia from the walls, stuffing them into his pack and pockets to take back with him. The chunks would be useless until they were processed into proper materia, but if he was lucky he might have found some really good ones. Zack stayed close to him, watching for any sign of danger and keeping a close eye on his younger friend when he leaned over the mako pools to collect samples. The last thing either of them needed was to fall into a pool of pure Lifestream energy; even a SOLDIER First would likely die of mako poisoning if that were to happen.

Luckily, everything went perfectly smoothly. Cloud collected several containers of mako without incident, and soon they had inspected most of the cave and determined that it was a perfect place to set up a new reactor. The rock was extremely stable, and there was abundant mako in all of the pools, not to mention what must be buried further underground. Whether Lazard liked them or not, it had to be said that the Mako Research Department had really picked a gem this time. Happy to be finished so soon, Zack and Cloud packed up their belongings and headed back to the entrance of the cavern, expecting to see Angeal waiting there for them.

It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the light again once they stepped outside, but once they did it immediately occurred to both of them that something wasn't right. It was nearly three, and yet there were no other tracks in the snow besides their own. Even in thick snow, Angeal should have caught up with them by now. So where was he? Zack stared up at the sky for a moment, trying to judge the time by the sun's position, and it was then that he realized just what had happened.

"Uhh… Cloud?" he began hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

"I, uhh… I think I messed up our directions. Completely."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean I think we went in completely the opposite direction we should have gone. Look up there. From where we were supposed to go, the sun should have been to the right of us at three. It's to the _left _right now." Cloud's face paled.

"Oh… Umm… Oops?"

"Yeah. Understatement of the century there, Spiky." Zack sighed, stifling another cough into his fist, and looked back up at the sky. "Well, that would definitely explain why Angeal isn't here yet. He's probably over at the right site already, wondering where we are."

"But this is a good thing in the end, right?" Cloud asked, smiling optimistically. "If Angeal checks out that site and it's a good one, that means we'll have found _two_ great reactor sites, instead of just one." Zack beamed at him, realizing he was absolutely right.

"Yeah, that's true!" he said happily. "And if we hurry, we should still be able to make it back in time to cross paths with Angeal before he gets back to our original campsite. This may turn out to be a better mission than any of us thought!" With that, he spun on his heel and began heading back down the trail, leaving Cloud to run after him this time.

* * *

By the time the sun was nearing the horizon, Zack and Cloud had made it most of the way back to where Cid had brought them the day before. Both of them were ready to return to their tent and sleep for the night, and Cloud was beginning to worry a little about Zack, too. For all his effort to look energetic and lively, the SOLDIER was very obviously exhausted. Cloud could hear his footsteps growing slower and slower, and soon he had fallen so far behind that Cloud was once again forced to wait for him to catch up before moving out again. He was also coughing almost constantly now, although he tried to hide it. He hadn't said much to Cloud since they left the cavern earlier, and Cloud didn't force him to talk. If he didn't feel up to it, he'd leave him alone.

It was just before they reached their campsite that Cloud noticed he couldn't hear Zack walking behind him anymore. It had grown dark about half an hour ago, and he hadn't been paying attention to the sound of his friend's footsteps for quite a while, so he began to worry when he realized he had no idea when he had lost track of Zack. Sprinting back the way they had come, Cloud looked around for where his friend might be, trying not to let himself think about the many types of predatory creatures that loved to come out and hunt after dark. Every shape began to look dangerous, and he fought his rising panic when he shouted for Zack again and again and still received no answer.

Finally, he spotted the shape of what could only be Zack leaning against one of the trees half a mile back from where he had first begun searching. He ran to him but pulled up short when Zack held up a hand to stop him. To his surprise, the SOLDIER dropped to his knees, hacking raggedly into his fist and clutching his chest with his other hand as his eyes scrunched shut in pain. Alarmed, Cloud dropped to his knees beside him, putting a hand on his back and offering him the canteen he was carrying with him. Once he had taken a few sips of water, Zack's coughing died down, but he was still out of breath when he stood shakily and began to walk back down the path again.

"Zack, what was that?" Cloud asked worriedly when they finally reached their campsite, not liking the way his friend was wheezing shrilly now with every breath he took.

"Don't – *_cough_* – don't know," he rasped, taking another sip of water in the hope that it would ease the burning in his throat. "Guess I breathed in a bug or something…"

"That's a lie and you know it," Cloud said angrily, whirling around to face Zack. Before he could protest, Cloud had reached up and put his palm against Zack's forehead; his eyes widened when he realized it was extremely hot to the touch. Now that he knew that, he began to notice other things he should have caught onto before: the pallor of Zack's usually tan face, the dark circles under his eyes, the way he could barely stand straight anymore. Cloud sighed, his worry turning to irritation. "Why didn't you tell me you were getting sick?"

"I *_cough, cough_* thought I could fight it off before it got any worse. That's what usu – *_k-hack!_* – usually happens…" Cloud sighed again, laying his face in his hand.

"Well, you're done for the night, okay?" He dug through his pack and handed Zack a couple of ration bars and a bottle of water. "I'm going to go set up the tent, and I want to see all of these gone by the time I get finished." Zack swallowed slowly, wrapping one of his arms around his abdomen.

"But I'm not hungry."

"Too bad. You hardly ate anything this morning, and you need to keep your strength up if you're getting sick. Don't make me pull an Angeal and order you to eat it." Zack sighed, opening the first of the bars and taking a hesitant bite. Satisfied, Cloud began setting up the tent, making sure everything was sealed against the cold and piling more blankets on Zack's side than his own. Once he finished, he strode back over to Zack and was happy to see that both the water and meal bars were gone. Seeing that there was a place for him to rest, Zack wearily stood and walked over to the tent, crawling inside and flopping down heavily onto his sleeping bag before curling up into the many blankets. Cloud lay down in his own sleeping bag, and he was almost asleep when he heard Zack sit bolt upright next to him and begin coughing raggedly again.

When the fit didn't subside for a whole thirty seconds, Cloud sat up and offered Zack the water again, rubbing his back in an attempt to get the coughing to stop. Zack ignored the water and quickly pushed Cloud off of him so he could lean out of the tent; a moment later, he gagged harshly, heaving the contents of his stomach into the snow outside. Almost immediately afterward, the coughing fit subsided, and he sank slowly back into his blankets with an exhausted sigh. Cloud was at his side in an instant, his eyes wide with concern.

"Zack, are you okay?" he asked quietly. Zack rolled over to face him and gave him a tired smile.

"'m good. Probably just getting a cold or something. I'm gonna go to sleep, and I should be fine by morning. Mako's cool like that, you know." With that, he turned his back to Cloud and curled up in his blankets again; he was asleep within minutes, his breathing still raspy but at least steady. Cloud reluctantly lay back down, sleep threatening to take him despite his worry, and muttered under his breath:

"You'd better be right about that…"

* * *

**Author's Note: Poor Zack! I felt so bad writing this chapter, but it's gonna get worse before it gets better... :(**

**Please leave a review if you can. Also, bonus points if you can guess what's wrong with Zack before the next chapter comes out!**


	8. A Hitch in the Plan

By the time the sun rose the next morning, it was clear to Cloud that Zack was much sicker than he had originally let on. The SOLDIER First had spent most of the last eight hours in a restless, feverish sleep, waking several times during the night to cough himself red in the face before collapsing exhaustedly back onto his bedroll to await the next fit. He was still asleep now, which Cloud was thankful for despite it being unusual for Zack to sleep in at all. The raven-haired man looked exhausted, and the gray circles beneath his eyes only served to highlight the red fever-blush on his cheeks. He was curled up tightly in as many blankets as he could reach, wheezing softly and pressing himself as closely to Cloud as he could in an attempt to feel warmer. Cloud sighed, hating himself for what he knew he had to do, and slowly put his hand on Zack's over-warm shoulder.

"Zack," he said softly, giving his friend a gentle shake. Zack stirred softly but did not wake. "Zack," he repeated, louder this time. "Wake up, Zack. We have to get moving." Zack's eyes cracked open, and he slowly sat up, holding his head in his hands and coughing roughly while he woke up.

"I'm… really tired…" he muttered, rubbing his temples and beginning to shiver.

"I know," Cloud said gently, beginning to pack up their supplies while he spoke. Although hearing Zack say that was extremely alarming, he didn't let his fear show. "But we need to try to make as much headway today as we can. If Angeal's out looking for us, we need to be closer to where he is." Zack nodded numbly, his eyes glassy as he stood and began helping Cloud pack. Every few seconds he would stop to cough into the crook of his arm, trying his best to hide it from his friend; Cloud humored him and pretended not to notice.

A short time later, they had loaded all of their supplies into their packs and were almost ready to begin their trek for the morning. Just before they departed, Cloud remembered that neither of them had eaten anything since the night before. Reaching into his pack, he retrieved a few ration bars, offering two of them to Zack. The SOLDIER just shook his head, backing away a step or two, and Cloud frowned.

"Zack, you need to eat something," he said worriedly. Zack shook his head again.

"I'm not hungry," he said softly.

"Yeah, right. You not being hungry is even less likely than me wearing a dress. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, alright?" Zack snapped, unable to stop the cough that followed the rising level of his voice. "I'm just not used to all this cold weather and it's given me a little cough. The sooner we get home, the better. Now let's go." Before Cloud had a chance to protest, Zack had shouldered his pack and the rolled-up tent and begun striding away, leaving the cadet to follow after him much like a Chocobo chick follows its mother.

* * *

"Angeal, wait!" Genesis shouted over the sound of the howling wind, which was growing fiercer by the hour. Nearly fifty yards ahead of him, Angeal pulled up short, waiting impatiently while Sephiroth and Genesis caught up to him again. The three SOLDIERs had been searching for Zack and Cloud without a break for over twenty-four hours, ever since it had been discovered that they were not at the reactor site the day before. Angeal had felt his heart drop into his feet at that realization, and he had immediately set off in the opposite direction with Genesis and Sephiroth always close by.

The two of them were being infuriatingly calm about all of this, making their way across the Modeus range at a pace that they could easily have upped with no extra strength spent. Had the circumstances been different, Angeal would have recognized the fact that he was ordinarily just as calm and collected as they were; this time, though, he was worried beyond the point of rationality. Zack was like a son to him; if anything happened to the Gongagan boy, he knew he would never forgive himself. As a result, he was beginning to look a lot like Zack as he pushed ahead as quickly as he could, leaving Sephiroth and Genesis to trail some distance behind him.

"Angeal, I know you're worried, but you should take a moment to rest," Sephiroth said calmly, sitting down on his knees in the snow while Genesis put a hand on his friend's shoulder and coaxed him into sitting as well. The Silver General thrust a canteen and a meal bar into Angeal's hands, staring him down until he reluctantly began to eat and drink.

"We _will_ find them, 'Geal, but you need to pace yourself," Genesis said gently, taking a drink from his own canteen. "Forgetting to eat and drink won't help them at all. What good would it do if you found them but you were too weak to help?" Angeal sighed, nodding and taking another drink of water.

"I know. But it's been two days already and we haven't heard a thing. I can't help but worry."

"It's probably not as bad as you think," Genesis said with a nonchalant shrug. "Falling in the water probably damaged their PHS's, so they have no way to call and tell us where they are – and that's if they still _have_ the things at all. Zack's smarter than he looks, Angeal, and Cloud's resourceful. Don't worry so much."

"You're right. We'll get back to searching in a few minutes, and I'm sure we'll meet up with them soon."

"It may be hard to see them soon, Angeal…" Sephiroth said ominously, pointing toward the sky. "Look."

Angeal followed Sephiroth's gaze, and his heart sank. The sky above them was turning dark with heavy gray clouds, obscuring what should have been bright noontime light. Snow quickly began to fall in thick, heavy flakes, and the wind was gathering speed as it howled around them and made the flakes dance across the already snowy landscape.

"Well, then," Angeal said slowly, glaring up at the spiteful sky. "I guess it's a good thing we have mako-enhanced vision, isn't it?" Before they could answer, he was already up and walking off again, his jaw set into a determined line that oddly resembled the one Zack often wore during training.

* * *

As the surprise blizzard howled around the two travelling young men, Cloud swore to himself that he would never again complain about having to wear a wool uniform. The parts of him that weren't covered by the warm fabric felt like icicles, and although he was still cold all over, at least not all of his body was totally numb. There was frost on the tips of his eyelashes and in his hair, and Zack's black locks looked like they were graying because of all the snowflakes stuck in them. Cloud had tried more than once to convince Zack to stop and set up camp, worried by the sound of his friend's worsening breathing, but Zack had shrugged him off each time, smiling and saying he was fine. Cloud knew he was lying, but what could he do? When Zack set his mind on something, there was really no convincing him otherwise.

The two of them continued to trek through the snow in what remained of the light, neither speaking as they focused on staying as warm as they could. Zack, despite still wearing only a knit tank top on his upper body, refused to take Cloud's uniform jacket when it was offered, saying that Cloud needed it more than he did. How he came to that conclusion was beyond understanding, since he was shivering horribly and his eyes were glowing green, showing that he was burning off his body's mako reserves in order to keep his core temperature near normal. His pace was beginning to slow, too, and it was clear that he was having difficulty breathing even when he wasn't coughing; his hand had settled below his throat nearly an hour ago and stayed there, and the movements of his chest were erratic and short.

Finally, after several hours of fighting against his own body, Zack couldn't press on anymore. He dropped to his knees in the snow, hacking raggedly and gasping desperately as he tried to get enough air into his now searing lungs. He fell forward, barely managing to keep himself propped up with one hand while the other clutched at his chest, and he sagged weakly into Cloud's grip when the blond dropped down beside him and held him up. Cloud patted his back with his free hand, trying to help him stop coughing and not liking the way each breath sounded as if there was fluid behind it. After a few long minutes, Zack finally managed to catch his breath, holding his head while it throbbed painfully. Cloud helped him to sit down fully, standing and taking the tent from where Zack had dropped it.

"I'm going to set this up, okay Zack?" Cloud asked, although he really didn't mean it as a question. "I don't think it's a good idea to go any farther today, since we can hardly see." What he really wanted to say was, "_since you're about to cough up a lung,_" but he didn't want to hurt Zack's pride any more than it must have already been.

"Y – *_keh! K-hack!_* Yeah…" Zack answered in a quiet rasp. "G-good *_cough_* idea…"

Cloud set up camp as fast as he possibly could, making sure there were plenty of blankets piled up on Zack's bedroll and that there were no holes for the cold to leak through. The last thing Zack needed was to be chilled on top of a fever. When he had finished setting up the tent and there was a small fire crackling outside the tent, he returned to where he had left Zack, not surprised to see him hunched over and coughing harshly again. He winced in sympathy when the SOLDIER began to gag on his own breath, and he was about to pat his back again when Zack froze, gasping and clenching his eyes shut in pain. A moment later he spat into the snow, and Cloud's eyes widened in fear; he was coughing up blood now.

"Come on, Zack, we have to get you out of the snow," Cloud said gently, trying to mask his growing panic while he half-led, half-carried his friend into the tent and began to cover him with blankets. Zack barely seemed to notice Cloud at all, his eyes dull and listless and his breath raspy and labored. "You need to just lie down and rest as much as you can, okay?"

"Hurts…" Zack muttered, his eyelids fluttering as he fought to stay conscious. "Feels like there's… a knife in my chest…"

"I know, Zack," Cloud said softly. "It'll be okay." As he said that, Cloud found he was trying to reassure himself even more than Zack. And a moment later, he came to realize that his friend was in a great deal of danger if they didn't get medical help for him soon. Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class, had managed to catch pneumonia.

* * *

**Author's Note: Poor Zack! I hate doing this to him, but it's unfortunately necessary (please don't hit me!) ****And congratulations to Tayashia, zexydemyx66, Zimithrus1, and Irish-Brigid. You all guessed before the chapter was even up! ;)**

**Please leave a review! They really do inspire me to update more often!**


	9. Exceeding One's Limits

**Author's Note: Hello, all! So very sorry for the long wait between chapters. I hope this one will be interesting enough to make up for it, though. Things will start looking up for Zack and Cloud, I promise! ;)**

* * *

"Tseng, come in. Tseng, can you hear me?"

The Head Turk sighed tiredly, picking up his radio at the sound of General Hewley's voice and holding it up near his lips. "Loud and clear, General. We are still unable to take off in the choppers until the storm lets up." He wasn't lying, either; he wanted to find Zack and Cloud, too, but if they took off now the helicopters would likely be blown into the sides of the mountains. Besides which, the visibility would be so obscured by the enormous snowflakes that there would be little chance of spotting the two from the air anyway, especially in the middle of the night.

"I understand. I'm just radioing in to report that we've reached Point 035 and are going to continue south from there. We expect to reach Point 043 by morning. You can meet us there if the storm has passed."

"Understood. Tseng, out." Sighing again, Tseng returned the radio to its proper place, settling back in his seat in the cockpit of the chopper and waiting for the instant he could take off in search of the two missing men. There was no question in his mind about whether those two would be found; it was only a matter of time. "_After all,_" he thought wryly as he typed the coordinates for Angeal's location into the computer. "_Aerith would never forgive me if something happened to Zack on my watch._"

* * *

Not long before the sun rose again, Cloud was startled awake by the sound of Zack's wet coughing; he didn't even remember falling asleep. Since Zack had not awakened this time, he expected it wouldn't last long, and he waited patiently for the fit to subside, wincing at each squeaking wheeze and choked-back moan of pain. Instead of tapering off, however, the coughing seemed to intensify, eventually progressing to the point that Zack's lips began to turn slightly blue. Cloud sighed and pulled him into a sitting position, pounding his back as he continued to wheeze and hack. The older boy gasped and shuddered, obviously in pain, while Cloud kept hitting him on the back to loosen up the fluid in his lungs. After a few moments, Zack sucked in an enormous breath and gave a harsh, gagging cough; Cloud shivered as he saw the thick, bloody saliva splattering onto the floor in front of them, but he did not move, just rubbing circles between Zack's shoulders until he was sure he had his breath back.

When he had cleaned the blood from Zack's mouth and gotten some water into him, Cloud laid him back down on the pallet and turned him onto his side, pulling the blankets up around his shivering form in an attempt to keep him comfortable. He fought against the worry gnawing away at his thoughts; he wasn't sure how much longer Zack was going to hold out in this frozen wasteland, and the storm was showing no signs of easing up anytime soon. Where in the world was Angeal?

He shook his head angrily, glaring down at his feet and reprimanding himself for being so weak. Angeal couldn't help them right now, so it would do no good wishing he was there. No, Cloud was all Zack had now, and he was going to make sure his friend pulled through no matter what.

A soft groan and a movement beside him snapped Cloud out of his daydreaming, and he turned his attention to Zack as the raven-haired SOLDIER blearily opened his eyes and looked around the dim tent. His eyes settled on Cloud's worried face and he sighed, holding a hand over his mouth and coughing softly.

"Hey, Spiky…" he greeted with none of his usual energy. "I… Heh… 'm sorry you're stuck taking care of m – *_cough_* – me like this. I'm supposed to be the one protecting you, but…" His eyes widened and he sat up quickly, hacking harshly into his hands for several seconds and panting exhaustedly afterward. "Umm… I think… I may be in a little trouble, Cloud…" he said softly, staring wide-eyed at the dark red stains on his palms. "It's been years since I was this sick; before I joined SOLDIER, actually… We probably ought to get moving again, before I'm no use to you anymore."

"Don't talk like that!" Cloud snapped, his heart pounding with fear. "You'll be fine. Pneumonia's bad, but you can beat it."

"Never said… I couldn't beat it…" Zack said, his eyelids fluttering as he fought to stay conscious; he was just so _tired_ all of a sudden. "Just might not… be much use to you in the meantime…"

"Zack, don't go to sleep right now!" Cloud leaned forward and shook his shoulders, but Zack just slumped forward against his chest, breathing quickly and shallowly as he slipped back into unconsciousness. Cloud gritted his teeth, cursing himself for being so helpless without Angeal and Zack to guide him. He reached forward and felt Zack's forehead, drawing his hand back quickly when he realized how hot it was. This was bad. He had seen plenty of people with pneumonia before and even contracted it himself once – in a backwoods town like Nibelheim, it was a fairly common occurrence – but he had never seen it get this bad this fast. How was this even possible?

"Okay, alright, just calm down, Strife… Let's just think this through…" He sat still for several moments, propping Zack up against him so it would be easier for him to breathe, and tried to think of the best course of action. The temperature outside was brutally cold, and the snow was getting thicker all the time, but it was also getting cold inside the tent faster than the fire outside could warm it. Besides which, staying here was getting them no closer to rescue, and at the rate Zack's health was deteriorating those few extra hours could cost them dearly.

With that thought, Cloud made up his mind in an instant. He hurriedly snatched up their packs, stripping his uniform jacket off and slipping it around Zack, fastening it tightly to keep out the chill as much as he could. He was going to be miserably cold without it, but he was more accustomed to weather like this than even most SOLDIERs; Zack, however, was from the tropics and not used to cold, and he would be far less able to handle it in this condition than usual. Once the jacket was on, he put the lighter of the two packs on Zack's back before hoisting his friend onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry. He was heavy, but Cloud had been through enough training to at least be able to hold him like this for a while.

With grim determination, he stepped out into the cold, not allowing himself to flinch when the chill wind immediately cut at him like a hot knife. A flashlight clutched in his gloved fist was the only light he had to see by, since he did not have the mako-enhanced night vision of a SOLDIER, but it was enough. He was going to save Zack, even if it killed him.

* * *

The early hours of the morning ticked by slowly, all bleeding together into one miserable blur as Cloud made his way through the deep snow, trying his best to ignore the howling of the wind and the way it cut through his clothing as if he wasn't wearing any at all. The only thing that kept him from giving up and taking shelter was the knowledge that Zack needed his help so badly. Even with the extra warmth the wool cadet jacket provided, the SOLDIER was shivering almost uncontrollably, and Cloud could hear the rattling in his breath even over the wind. Every so often Zack would whimper, though whether it was from pain or a nightmare Cloud had no idea. All the blond could do was grip his hand a little tighter, make sure his hold on Zack was still secure, and urge his exhausted body forward through the knee-deep snow.

"_Nibelheim winter was worse than this. Nibelheim winter was worse than this. Nibelheim winter was worse than this…_" He repeated those words in his head over and over, trying to keep himself from thinking about how he could barely feel any part of his body anymore. Although the sun had risen an hour ago and the snow had stopped falling, he never even noticed. The cold had ceased to hurt anymore; now he was just numb. "_Nibelheim winter was worse than this. Nibelhe –_"

"Cloud…"

Cloud jumped a little, not expecting to hear Zack's voice breaking through his mental mantra. The Gongagan man was looking at Cloud with tears in his eyes; some had already fallen down his face and frozen on his cheeks in shiny trails.

"Zack? What's the matter? Are you hurt –"

"Sorry… *_cough, cough_ * 'm sorry… sorry…"

"Zack, what are you talking about?"

"Couldn't protect Cloud… I'm sorry… Please be – *_cough_* – okay… Please…" Cloud's eyebrows knitted together in worry, not sure why Zack was saying things like that.

"No, I'm right here, Zack. I'm fine, see? A little chilly, maybe, but fine."

"Failed… Couldn't protect… my friend… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… sorry…"

"_The fever's making him delirious. It must have gotten higher…_" Cloud thought worriedly, noticing that Zack was still mumbling to himself between coughs, although the words had become incoherent. "Gods, can _nothing_ go right for us right now?!" he screamed at the gray morning sky, willing anyone who could hear it to stop toying with them so much. "Can't you _please_ just give him a break?!"

As if in answer to his question, Cloud suddenly heard the sound of a twig snapping in the trees not far from where he stood. He tensed immediately, remembering how he had heard the same sound just before the Bandersnatch had attacked them before.

"Oh, please, not now…"

Another twig snapped, then another, coming closer with each step. Gritting his teeth furiously, Cloud set Zack down on the ground behind him, pulling a knife from the belt on his uniform and standing protectively in front of his friend.

"Alright, then. You want a fight? I'll tear you to pieces before you touch him. So COME AT ME!" His shout echoed through the stillness of the mountain forest, the sound of his own voice the only answer he got. He tensed his body as he heard movement again, ready to kill the beast before it got anywhere near Zack, and the knife was held in a death-grip in his fist.

When a dark shape finally emerged from the trees, Cloud sprang forward with a furious yell, ready to plunge the blade as deep as he could before it could move. What he didn't count on, though, was the figure moving first. He felt something grab onto his wrist, twisting it until the knife fell to the ground, and he was pushed roughly onto his back, losing his breath as his body collided with a fallen tree. Dazed, he shook his head, looking up at his attacker before freezing in shock. He was suddenly so overwhelmed with relief he almost began to laugh, though he managed to keep it in check. Instead, he picked himself up slowly, coughing a few times as he regained his air, and smiled at the man standing in front of him.

"The hell're you still doin' out here, kid?" the man asked gruffly, brushing some of the snow off of Cloud's back. "I thought you and yer friend were s'posed to be gone already!" Instead of answering, Cloud just smiled again.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you right now, Cid."


	10. A Silver Lining at Last

"Cid, what are you doing all the way out here? I thought you were supposed to have left already, too," Cloud asked, adrenaline still rushing through his veins while he gathered Zack up off of the ground.

"I was getting' ready to fly outta here this mornin'. My Tiny Bronco – that's the plane I built and got down here with – is tied down just past those trees there. I released Rima this morning to go back to whatever Chocobo flock she's part of, and I was on my way back to the clearing when I heard someone screamin' like crazy out here. Turns out it was you. And yer damn lucky that blizzard held me up a whole day, too; looks like yer friend's in bad shape."

"He is," Cloud said in a near-whisper, adjusting his grip on Zack when he started to cough again. "He's got pneumonia, and it's gotten really bad in a really short time." Cid shoved his hands in his pockets, spitting his cigarette out into the snow and grinding it out so the smoke wouldn't drift into Zack's face. "Is there any way you can help us? I'm sorry to trouble you again, but –"

"Save yer apologies, kid. I'd be one heartless son of a bitch if I didn't help you guys now. Shin-Ra or not, yer still just kids. Can't have ya dyin' on me." He looked over his shoulder toward the clearing, then back at Cloud. "Alright, lemme think… The Bronco can only hold me, and ya can't fly her yerself… Can ya hang tight fer just a minute? I'll be right back." Cloud nodded, leaning down to refasten one of the loose buttons of his uniform jacket so that Zack would be as warm as possible.

"We'll be here." Cid nodded and dashed off, leaving a trail of large footprints behind him as he churned up the deep snow. Cloud sat down on the ground, letting Zack lean against him as his body instinctively sought out warmth. A moment later he finally stirred again, very short of breath but at least a little more alert than he had been.

"Cloud…?" he asked in a hoarse whisper. "You… okay?"

"What do you mean am _I_ okay? _You're_ the one who should be worried about being okay!" Zack shook his head and smiled, coughing softly and looking down at his legs.

"Yeah… well… sick or… not, I'm still a… SOLDIER," he rasped. "It's still… my job to make sure… everyone makes it out… okay before… me." Cloud smiled, an almost hysterical chuckle bubbling up in his throat before he could stop it.

"You are exhausting, Zack. You know that?"

"You… know it… Spiky." He smiled, a pitiful attempt at his usual grin, and looked up at the gray sky. "So, where are… we?"

"Really close to our original campsite. And we're getting help now. Everything's gonna be okay."

"Help? You found… Angeal?"

"No, not –"

"Hey!" Cid shouted, running back toward them with a large bundle in his arms. "Ya still hangin' in there?"

"We're still alive, yes," Cloud shouted back, a grin of relief on his face when he realized Cid really had come back like he said he would. The older man reached them in record time, dropping a bundle of blankets, food, and water beside them.

"This oughta last fer a little bit while I go find yer friend. What was his name, 'Angel' or somethin'?"

"Angeal," Cloud corrected with a chuckle. "He's one of the Legendary Trio of SOLDIER. You know, the big, dark-haired one on the posters who actually wears his regulation uniform?"

"Oh, _him_? Yeah, I know what he looks like. Don't worry, then. I'll hop in the Bronco and find him as quick as I can."

"You're the greatest, Cid," Zack said softly from his seat on the ground, now nestled in a few more blankets and feeling much warmer.

"How can we repay you?" Cloud asked, hoping he had enough money if that's what the man asked for. Cid just snorted and shook his head.

"Tell ya what, guys. You don't tell anyone at Shin-Ra that I'm the one who helped ya and we'll call it even, alright? Can't have them knowin' the man who's s'posed to hate 'em so much is goin around _helpin'_ 'em now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. This'll just be my good deed for the year or somethin'. But we're wastin' time now. You two just hang tight, and I'll get help as quick as I can." With that, the pilot dashed off into the snow again, disappearing into the trees before Cloud could think of anything suitable to shout after him. Not long after, the sound of a roaring engine cut through the suffocating silence, and Zack and Cloud both sagged in relief. Finally, it was almost over.

* * *

"Any sign of them yet?" Angeal called over his shoulder as he heard Sephiroth and Genesis approaching him. A tense silence was all that met his ears, and he sighed heavily, knowing exactly what that meant. "Alright, we'll keep looking then."

"Angeal, wait," Genesis said hesitantly, catching up to his friend and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Tseng's got the helicopter out circling around now. Maybe we should leave this up to him for a bit."

"No. We have to keep looking. The longer we wait, the more likely it is they won't –" He clenched his fists at his sides, unable to finish that thought aloud.

"I know, Angeal. But you haven't slept in two days, and you've barely eaten or drunk anything. You're going to make yourself ill if you don't rest, and then where will we be?"

"I don't care at this point, Genesis. We _have_ to find them. If something happens because I was sitting here resting –"

"And what if they're totally fine and come waltzing up to us tomorrow but you're sick from overworking yourself? There are too many what-if's to worry about now, Angeal. You're a SOLDIER First Class; act like one and distance yourself from this mission a little. It's not a SOLDIER's job to get emotional."

Angeal was about to answer that with a very ungentlemanly string of words when he suddenly heard the sound of a plane overhead. Looking up, he was surprised to see it circling low, as if looking for a place to land. It took a few moments, but the pilot did eventually manage to get low enough for the three SOLDIERs to hear his shouted words.

"Hey! Angeal! I know where yer missin' friends are! Follow me, I'll lead ya to 'em!"

"Is this guy serious?" Genesis asked incredulously. "How does he even know who you are?"

"It doesn't matter, do as he says!" Sephiroth shouted, already far ahead of the other two thanks to his significantly longer legs.

"Tseng! Tseng, do you copy?!" Angeal shouted into his radio, clutching it almost hard enough to crack it while he ran after Cid's plane.

"_Affirmative. What are your –_"

"Someone's found Zack and Cloud!" Angeal shouted, not giving Tseng time to finish with the formalities. "He's flying a tiny one-person plane just past point 044. We're running behind him, but we need you to tail him too."

"_Understood. Give me a moment to – Alright, we've spotted him. We'll pursue immediately._" Angeal didn't bother answering, just stuffing the radio back into his pocket and running as fast as his legs could carry him.

"_We're coming, you two_," he thought with his heart lighter than it had been in days. "_We're finally coming for you."_ The three of them sprinted through the trees and across the slick, icy terrain for nearly an hour, never slowing their pace and not giving any heed to their bodies' demands for rest. This was no time to be tired. They could hear the Shin-Ra helicopter flying overhead, tailing close behind Cid's Tiny Bronco as he led them to Zack and Cloud, but none of them bothered to look up; their gaze was directed forward, unwavering as they looked for the first sign of their comrades.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, they reached the edge of the clearing where Cid had left Zack and Cloud to wait. Sephiroth spotted them first, since he was running ahead of the other two by several meters, and bounded off toward them, already removing his long leather coat so he could wrap it around one of them if necessary. Angeal and Genesis were not far behind, and before either Zack or Cloud could say anything to them, all three generals were crouched down in the snow beside them, trying to determine their conditions while Tseng found a safe place to land the helicopter.

"General Rhapsodos! General Sephiroth! You came, too?" Cloud asked in shock, his eyes wide as he found himself surrounded by all of his idols at once.

"Of course we did. Our comrades needed our help," Sephiroth answered matter-of-factly. Genesis was about to comment as well when they were interrupted by a harsh series of coughs from Zack, who was still trying to smile despite being in obvious pain.

"Zack, are you alright?" Angeal asked worriedly, offering him water and only worrying more when he pushed it away in favor of hacking into his fist again.

"I – *_cough_* – I've had… better days…" Zack managed between coughs, giving his mentor a weary smile. "Kinda hard… to breathe right now… Feels like I swallowed… a knife…"

"He's got pneumonia, I think," Cloud said in response to Angeal's questioning look. "It didn't show up until about two nights ago, but it's gotten really bad since then."

"Well, it'll be alright. We'll get you down to Medical as soon as we get back. Both of you," Angeal added when he noticed how exhausted and weak Cloud was beginning to look. "Are you alright?" he asked when the blond lost his balance and fell to his knees.

"Fine… Just tired…"

"You'll be able to rest soon," Genesis said as Tseng approached them, having landed the helicopter fifty meters away.

"Are you ready to return to Midgar?" Tseng asked, although he already knew the answer. Cloud, surprisingly, was the first one to answer, and his words summed up all of their feelings perfectly.

"For the gods' sake, yes!"

Tseng smiled amusedly and Genesis helped Cloud to his feet while Angeal picked up Zack and carried him – protesting the whole way, of course – to the helicopter. Once they were there, Sephiroth and Genesis sat down near the front, leaving room for Cloud and Zack to sit with Angeal in the back. As an afterthought, Angeal snatched up the oxygen mask from the medical supplies in the back, handing it to Zack and watching him anxiously until he had secured it to his face and begun to breathe a little easier. Almost immediately, Cloud began to slump forward in his seat, almost falling to the floor before Angeal caught him and rested him back against the wall.

"Airsick again, Spike?" Zack asked, his voice muffled by the mask and his eyelids growing heavy.

"Nnnh…" Cloud grunted. "Too tired… to get sick right now…" He barely even felt it when someone threw a blanket over him, hardly noticed when his body was readjusted so that he could sleep without hurting his neck and back. All he knew was that he was very, very tired, and that for the first time in days he could finally sleep peacefully. Before the chopper had even made it out of the clearing, Cloud had already fallen asleep, and they would have made it back to Midgar before he even thought of waking up again.

* * *

**Author's Note: We're nearly at the end, everyone. The next chapter should be the last one. I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far, and please leave a review if you have (or even if you haven't.) It really does mean a lot to me to get your feedback.**


	11. The Makings of a Hero

The next several hours rushed by like a chaotic whirlwind, blurring together so fast that everyone could barely keep up with what was happening. As soon as Tseng had landed the helicopter on the roof of the Shin-Ra Building, a group of medical personnel had rushed out to meet them, laying Zack and Cloud on stretchers and rushing them down toward the infirmary on the SOLDIER Floor, which was nearly thirty stories below. Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth followed behind, refusing to be carried down to the infirmary when they knew they were uninjured and at most a little fatigued.

After taking an hour to check him over and treating him for mild dehydration, the doctor released Cloud and ordered him to take a day or two away from training to rest. Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis received the same orders, although they required no further care than a cursory checkup performed by Dr. Hollander. The first thing Cloud did when he got out was call Aerith; he knew she would want to come and see Zack, and as a matter of fact so did he. The raven-haired SOLDIER had been wheeled away to the ICU to be examined several hours ago, and none of them had seen him since. It took a lot of pestering and a few barely-disguised threats from a very worried Angeal before anyone would tell them what was going on.

It turned out that Zack did indeed have pneumonia, but it was of a severity much worse than anyone had thought at first. When he had fallen into the water, Zack had aspirated a lot of fluid, which turned out to contain a type of water-dwelling bacteria that, while harmless if swallowed, was very dangerous if inhaled. To make matters worse, when the bacteria had been exposed to the mako in his body, it mutated into a new strain that reproduced twice as fast. This had been why the entirety of both lungs were affected, as well as why he was so feverish and had started coughing up blood. Cloud's face paled when they told him that Zack wouldn't have lasted another two days out there, but he was relieved to learn that they were already treating him with strong antibiotics and oxygen and that he would make a full recovery in a few weeks.

Aerith somehow managed to convince the nurses to let her stay with Zack throughout the night, a few not-so-fake tears having worked to her advantage. Zack looked pitiful compared to the last time she had seen him; there was a cannula in his nose, giving him oxygen to help him breathe better, a multitude of monitors and sensors on his chest, and several different IV's in his arms, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered to her. He was still slightly feverish and totally exhausted, but when she entered the room he began to stir, stretching and yawning before he turned his head toward her and blinked lazily.

"Hey, Aer. How's it goin'?" he asked with a tired slur in his voice.

"Better now that I know you're okay. You really had me worried, you big jerk," she said almost angrily, although there was a smile on her lips and happy tears in her eyes. "If something had happened to you I don't know what I'd have done."

"Oh, Aerith, I'm sorry…" he rasped, reaching out to pull her toward him while being careful not to pull his IV's loose. "I didn't want you to worry about me. I knew I'd be fine with Cloud and Angeal there." He paused for a moment, yawning again and stroking her hair while she hugged him tightly and laid her face on his chest. "Speaking of which, where is Cloud? Did they check him in, too?"

"No, they released him two hours ago. He went with the three other Firsts to report on the mission."

"Kid's a workaholic," Zack muttered, perfectly content not to move at all for the moment. "I'm too *_yaaaawn…_* tired to go report to them, though, so I'm glad he's got it covered." Aerith smiled at him, standing up and tucking the blanket around him as snugly as she could when he started to shiver again.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Zack? I'll be right here when you wake up."

"You're the best, Aerith. I love you." Aerith smiled and sat down in a chair beside his bed, holding his hand until his breathing slowed and his eyes drifted shut again. When she was sure he was asleep, she leaned down and whispered her next words into his ear, too quietly to be overheard.

"I love you too, my big puppy."

* * *

"So, Cloud," Director Lazard said as he began typing the mission report into his computer's database. "It seems the mission was a success thanks to you and Zack."

"Me and Zack? But what about Angeal?" Cloud asked, not understanding that statement.

"The reactor site they gave us originally was useless," Angeal answered instead. "The ground there is extremely unstable, and most of the mako pools are contaminated. The few materia fragments we gathered from the rocks crumbled into dust almost as soon as we harvested them, too."

"But the site you two stumbled upon is the perfect place to build," Lazard continued, still typing furiously. "So I guess something good came out of this disaster. Regardless, though, I am still going to be having some very strong words with the people in the Mako Research Department about deploying my SOLDIERs to such places again. If it weren't for you, we'd have lost one of our Firsts today. That is absolutely unacceptable."

"Oh, no Sir. It isn't me who deserves the credit," Cloud said earnestly, remembering how much Cid had helped them.

"Oh? Then who does?"

"Ah…" Cloud's face paled as he remembered, too late, that Cid had asked him not to say anything. "H-he… I never learned his name," he said hurriedly, hoping Lazard couldn't hear that he was obviously lying.

"Well did you see what he looked like? I'd like to get in touch with the man who helped save two of my employees."

"He had dark skin and eyes, and a really thick, curly black beard. He was in his forties, wore goggles all the time and carried a hammer around with him, too. He said he was from some place called Baron." Cloud had no idea where any of this was coming from, but at least it sounded nothing like Cid.

"Hmm… Well I don't personally know of anyone like that, but I'll jot it down anyway. Regardless, Cloud, you've done a very good job on this mission. You should be proud. Now, go get some rest; you look exhausted."

"Thank you, Sir."

As soon as Cloud had stepped out of the room with Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth, Angeal put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from going any further toward the barracks.

"Why didn't you tell him about that man who helped Zack?" Sephiroth asked suspiciously, crossing his arms and giving Cloud a hard look when Angeal had let go of him.

"He asked me not to, Sir," Cloud answered honestly, hoping this wasn't somehow breaking his promise. "He didn't want anyone here to know he helped us, and I promised I wouldn't say anything." He hung his head a little, expecting to be given some kind of punishment then and there. "I want him to get credit, since he's the one who pulled us out of the river, too, but…"

"It's okay," Angeal said gently, glancing back at Sephiroth and Genesis, who nodded in agreement. "If he doesn't want Shin-Ra contacting him, that's his business. The important part is we succeeded in the mission and everyone made it out okay. I'm going down to the infirmary to see Zack for a bit. Is anyone else coming?" Sephiroth and Genesis nodded, falling into step behind Angeal with Cloud trailing behind.

"I wonder if he's been behaving himself," Genesis said under his breath. "You know how puppies can be for the vet." Angeal just sighed and rolled his eyes.

* * *

"So you're sure that you're feeling better?" Aerith asked as the doctors removed all of the sensors and tubes from Zack's arms and chest. It had been nearly a week, and the SOLDIER was very nearly climbing the walls in an effort to get away from his forced bed rest. A day or two, he could handle. A week – that was just cruel. Everyone had come down to his room today, trying to keep him entertained enough not to chew out the IV's himself until the doctor got there. "I don't want to be responsible for you getting sick again just because you want to take me on a date."

"For the hundredth time, Aer, I'm _fine_," Zack said in mock exasperation, stretching his arms up above his head and testing out the muscles in his legs when they finally let him stand. "I've still got a little cough, but everything else is great. I never doubted I'd be just fine; Cloud was with me, remember?"

"_Never_, Zack?" Cloud asked amusedly from his seat in the corner of the room. "Not even when you started coughing up blood?"

"Okay, so I might have doubted it a little. Anyway, I'm all good now. SOLDIERs are just cool like that, right Genesis?" The Crimson General smirked, keeping his eyes on his current page of LOVELESS while he answered.

"Whatever you say, Zackary."

"See? I told you. Anyway, can we go now? I'm so sick of these white walls it makes me want to go tie-dye my eyes just to get the image out of 'em!"

"Alright, alright," Aerith said with a smile. "The doctor said you're good to go as long as you take it easy for another two weeks."

"So I'll just train with Cloud instead of Angeal, then," Zack said nonchalantly, taking Aerith's arm in his and walking her toward the door. "But first, we need sustenance! Hospital food is _not_ the kind of stuff I want to be feeding you, Aerith."

"Okay, but I'll pay for myself this t –"

"No, you won't. What kind of gentleman wouldn't at least buy you lunch after making you worry so much?"

"But you don't have to –"

"Yes I do, and that's final."

"But –"

"Come on, come on, come on! I'm starving!" Before Aerith could protest further, Zack was already dragging her along behind him, laughing the whole way and leaving her giggling as well. Cloud stood and adjusted his uniform jacket, ready to head to the Simulation Rooms and do a little training himself. Before he could leave, though, Genesis stopped him, motioning for him to step out into the hall. He did so, a little confused, and was surprised when Genesis gave him a somewhat warm smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"You did really well on that mission, Strife," he said before the cadet could say anything. "I know you say it was that pilot who did a lot of it, but that's not really true. From what I've gathered, it was _you_ who ultimately ended up saving Zack's life, not him. If you hadn't decided to brave that storm, you would never have run into that man at all, right? That's something I wouldn't expect even our top-ranking cadets to attempt, let alone survive. So why aren't you in SOLDIER yet? You've already proven yourself to be completely competent in the field."

"I… My test scores in tactics and strategies were too low, Sir."

"Psh! Tactics and strategies, what a bunch of – I mean, it's all important, but one course shouldn't be able to hold you back so much."

"Well, I… was _really_ below the mark." Genesis's eyes widened a fraction of an inch.

"How low?"

"I scored a fifty percent. I needed a ninety to pass." The redhead seemed to consider this a moment, and then he sighed, waving his hand dismissively at nothing in particular.

"Well, none of that matters. I'm sure if I pulled a few strings I could get you exempted from that part of the exam."

"Sir, do you mean –"

"Yes. I can get you moved up to SOLDIER Third Class right now, if that's what you want. After what you just did for Zack I'm sure no one would complain." Cloud's eyes brightened for a moment, his gratitude plain on his face, but to Genesis's amazement he shook his head.

"Thank you, Sir, but I think I'll have to pass this time."

"Are you serious?! Why would you want to do that? You want to be in SOLDIER, don't you?"

"I do, more than anything. But if I'm going to become one of the best, I want to do it on my own merits. If I still can't pass the test, I'm not ready yet. And I wouldn't want anyone to accuse you of favoritism, Sir."

"As if anyone would dare," Genesis said with a derisive snort. When Cloud didn't take back his earlier statement, Genesis nodded, clapping him on the shoulder again and smiling briefly. "Well, I respect your decision. Keep studying hard, Strife, and maybe ask Zack to help you with your tactics and strategies course while he's 'taking it easy' for the next two weeks. When you finally do make it into SOLDIER, come talk to me. I've always wanted to be a mentor, after all, and I think you've got what it takes to live up to my expectations."

"Do you mean it, Sir?!"

"I do. So keep studying, Strife! I expect to see you in the ranks after the next exam!"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

As Genesis turned on his heel and strode away, Cloud took off for the barracks, ready to begin studying until he could pass the next exam with flying colors. He couldn't slack off if he wanted to become a man who could measure up to the four SOLDIER Firsts he admired, after all. What he didn't realize, and likely never would, was that in many ways he already had. No matter what anyone else might say, Cloud Strife had done what most would consider impossible for a mere cadet. Without inhuman strength, genetically-engineered talent, or the help of mako infusions, Cloud had saved someone much more capable of the task than himself.

That, more than anything, was what so impressed those who ranked above him. And that, above all else, was also what made him a hero.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, this is the end, folks! I hope you liked the ending, and I hope I kept you entertained in the meantime. I'm sad that it's finally over but happy to have made it to the end. Maybe I'll write a sequel someday. Who knows...? ;)  
**

**Also, bonus points for anyone that can guess who Cloud is referring to when he's making up that fake description for Lazard. (And no, it's not from Final Fantasy VII.)**


End file.
